


The Next Doctor

by iam93percentstardust



Series: A Doctor Who Christmas [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode: s04e14 The Next Doctor, F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 09:13:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13050993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iam93percentstardust/pseuds/iam93percentstardust
Summary: The years went by. Jackson never forgot the Doctor or all that he had done for him. All he had to do was look at his son to remember what the Doctor had done on that dark Christmas morning. Frederic was a living reminder of everything that had changed.And then there was Rosita.





	The Next Doctor

The years went by. Jackson never forgot the Doctor or all that he had done for him. All he had to do was look at his son to remember what the Doctor had done on that dark Christmas morning. Frederic was a living reminder of everything that had changed.

And then there was Rosita.

Jackson wasn’t entirely certain what to make of Rosita. At first, she’d been just his companion but she’d slowly become his friend over the three weeks that he’d been the Doctor. She had stuck around after the events with the Cybermen and now she served as a steadfast friend and a nanny to Frederic. But sometimes, he wondered if she ever wanted something more out of their friendship. Surely there was a reason she’d stuck around this long beyond wanting to keep an eye out for him and Frederic.

He wanted there to be a reason.

This simple fact surprised him. He didn’t think that he would ever love someone after Caroline died. He knew that Rosita wouldn’t take Caroline’s place- she was her complete opposite. Rosita was vivacious where Caroline had been quiet, argumentative instead of complacent, bold instead of timid.

Jackson didn’t quite know how to approach the subject though. It had come so easy with Caroline. Rosita was… well, she was Rosita. He didn’t want to talk to her about his feelings without first knowing how she’d respond.

But he eventually felt that he couldn’t leave the subject untouched any longer. It was becoming painful to watch her. He wanted- no, longed- to hold her close, keep her safe from her fears. He worried that she would leave if he remained quiet.

“Rosita,” he said, clearing his throat.

She looked up from where she was playing with Frederic. One look at his face told her that it was a serious conversation. She stood and led him away from his son.

“Doctor, what’s wrong?” she asked. Jackson had to smile at the honorific. He’d told her several times to call him Jackson but she hadn’t broken the habit. She said that he deserved the term more than any medical doctor she’d ever known.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he reassured her. “Not really. As you know, you’ve been with Frederic and me for some time. Several years now.”

Her eyes narrowed, wondering where he was going with this topic.

“And people are beginning to talk. It isn’t right for a young, unmarried woman to be seen with the, um, the likes of me.”

“If you’re offering to start paying me, I’ll slap you,” she snapped. “See if I don’t.”

Involuntarily, Jackson took a step back. He knew she was good for the threat. “No,” he said. “Nothing like that. It’s just that, um, well, you’ve been acting as a sort of mother to Frederic and I thought you might like to make it official,” he finished lamely, wincing. That sounded terrible even to him.

Rosita’s mouth fell open. “Make it official?” she repeated stunned. “Jackson Lake, are you asking me to marry you?”

He winced again. Oh, he was bungling the whole thing. “We don’t need to rush into it,” he said swiftly. “We don’t even need to get married if you don’t want to.”

“Well why not?” she asked. Now it was Jackson’s turn to gape at her. He hadn’t expected this answer. “After all,” she continued. “I’ve been with you for some time.”

A slow smile spread across Jackson’s face, one that was matched on Rosita’s. She slid her hand into his. “You’d better figure out how to ask me properly though.”


End file.
